4-way Formation Recap
Thirty-nine four-way formation skydiving teams spent two days battling for podium positions at the 2026 USPA National Championships at Skydive Perris, with several classes decided by just a few points — and multiple jump-offs.
The Beginner class brought together teams focused on competition experience and having fun. Big Grip Energy led the field with 79 points to claim gold, while 4.5 Men finished five points behind with 74 for silver.
The race for bronze required a jump-off after SDMW Speed Shapes and Cheated Donuts finished tied. Cheated Donuts prevailed in the tiebreaker, scoring 10 points to SDMW Speed Shapes’ eight to earn the bronze medal.
The Intermediate class was even more closely contested, with the top five teams rotating through the top three positions throughout the competition.
After the first day, CSC Singularity and Relentless were tied for the lead with 63 points each. Spaceland Pajama Party and Zhills Door BlockerZ were close behind with 61 points apiece.
Spaceland Pajama Party pulled ahead during the final four rounds, finishing with 119 points to take gold. CSC Singularity earned silver with 108 points.
A strong finish by Aircognito resulted in another tie for third, this time with Zhills Door BlockerZ at 105 points. Aircognito won the subsequent jump-off, scoring 10 points to Zhills Door BlockerZ’s nine to claim bronze.
In Advanced, two Air Force teams battled for the top spots. AF Riptide finished with 160 points to take gold, while AF Barnhouse earned silver with 151.
The battle for bronze remained open through the final rounds. After seven rounds, Intravenous XP, SDC QuadRhivium XP and CSC Constellation were separated by just three points.
CSC Constellation made its move in the final three rounds, finishing with 138 points to secure the bronze medal.
The Open class provided another close battle, with Arizona Airspeed and the Golden Knights trading the lead throughout the competition.
In the end, Arizona Airspeed edged out the Golden Knights by just three points, finishing with 254 points to claim gold. The Golden Knights earned silver with 251 points, while SDC Rhythm XP took bronze with 204 points.
All female 4-way team Ranch TNT SDAZ set a new California state record for longest sequence with their round one performance of 28 points. Four Warned XP, another all female team set a new California state record of highest average with 17.5 points. Both teams will represent the US at the 2027 FAI World Cup as members of the US Parachute team, along with Arizona Airspeed, Golden Knights, SDC Rhythm XP, Elsinore Elevate, Girls Will Be Girls and AeroGiRhls.
After two days of competition, the 4-way championships once again demonstrated just how quickly standings can change when teams are separated by only a handful of points.
